Hidden Uses of AI in Retail

Very useful, further pointing to a podcast Series

The Hidden Uses of AI in Retail

Altogether AI, Tech News from the Me.Myself and I Podcast Team

By Sam Ransbotham, Professor at Boston College; AI Editor at MIT Sloan Management Review;

Host of "Me, Myself, and AI" podcast Team

Robot waiters, clerks, and customer service -- If you follow the news about artificial intelligence in retail, you might think human retail workers will soon be obsolete as humanoid robots fill in for workers. But that isn't at all what I'm excited about with AI in retail. We've got to Rethink AI Objectives.

Yes, we've all seen robot wait staff who never forget an order (but... maybe not), automated clerks who can maintain a pleasant veneer even in the face of the most unreasonable customer (but... maybe not), and phone responses that pass for human (but... is that good?). With the difficulties in hiring, training, managing, and retaining the pesky humans, the promise of robotic replacements is tempting, despite the initial flaw.  ....

AI in retail has considerable promise but sometimes feels distracted by "AI for show." As consumers, we likely observe very little about how actual companies already use AI. A few examples of this less visible (but still critical!) uses of AI are with Gerri Martin-Flickinger, former executive vice president CTO at Starbucks, Arti Zeighami former head of advanced analytics and AI for the H&M Group, and Huiming Qu, senior director of data science and machine learning, products, marketing, and online, at The Home Depot. And learn about a project, The Shift Project (https://lnkd.in/dcWdFTxr) that aims to gather crucial data about retail work that future models can use.

Thanks,  Sam